The year’s best TV shows may have mostly been adaptations, remakes, or spinoffs, but that doesn’t make them anything less than great. That may be what characterized TV in 2024: shows that took old ideas and spun them into something fresh. Whether that be an adaptation of a post-apocalyptic video game led by an oddly sexy irradiated cowboy, a remake of an iconic samurai epic, or a spinoff of an iconic Batman villain, the best TV shows this year offered something new and exciting.
Using highly scientific methods (which included making our own personal rankings and mushing them together), the Inverse Entertainment team put our heads together to compile the best TV shows of the year.
Here are the 25 best TV shows of 2024, according to the Inverse Entertainment team.
25. Fantasmas
Julio Torres has already proven himself the oddball of the SNL alumni, but Fantasmas is the ultimate deep-dive into his mind, with wandering tangents into the lives of the letters of the alphabet, twisted sitcoms, and what’s really going on with the Real Housewives, all told with an all-star cast. — Dais Johnston
24. Extraordinary Season 2
Extraordinary is Hulu’s ultimate hidden gem. A combination superhero series and coming-of-age comedy, it follows a powerless 20-something in a world where everyone develops a power when they turn 18. Season 2 stretches the premise even farther, depicting the main character as she dives into her own psyche — in this case, literally, thanks to a superpowered therapist. — Dais Johnston
23. Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5
Since 2020, Lower Decks has been an underdog Star Trek show focused on actual underdogs. Although seemingly not originally planned to be the final season, Lower Decks Season 5 demonstrated all the ways that this Star Trek series is great. Both old-fashioned and edgy, the final voyages of the Cerritos didn’t shy away from fan service, assuming of course you caught all the deep cuts to begin with. — Ryan Britt
22. For All Mankind Season 4
Though it began in 2023, the fourth season of For All Mankind actually concluded in early 2024. Known for twisty season finales, For All Mankind Season 4 pulled out all the stops, with a massive shoot-out on Mars, which seemed to result in the demise of a fan-favorite character. The final moments of this season were a combination of shock and relief. We still can’t wait for what comes next. — Ryan Britt
21. Terminator Zero
The Terminator saga is nearly impossible to kill, but the industry’s attempt to keep the franchise alive don’t always have to be misguided. Terminator Zero evolves a well-trodden story in a way only an anime can. The series is full of esoteric meditations and thorny character portraits, but it doesn’t skimp on the body horror — or the blistering action — that made James Cameron’s original efforts so undeniable. — Lyvie Scott
20. 3 Body Problem
Tackling notoriously unwieldy novels — which are not known for their characterizations — 3 Body Problem had a lot to accomplish in a relatively small run of just eight episodes. Though it got off to a clunky start, 3 Body Problem managed to hit major plot elements from all three books and set up the possibility of suitably epic future seasons. — Ryan Britt
19. Doctor Who Season 1
While it will likely go down as one of the most uneven seasons in Doctor Who history, the first proper run of episodes starring Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor delivered the goods, mostly. Despite a silly debut episode, and a strange, deep-cut finale, the best moments in this new Who reset season were oddly the ones the Doctor wasn’t in that much. The season-long mystery of Ruby Sunday’s (Millie Gibson) origin wasn’t super interesting, but her solo adventure in “73 Yards” is unforgettable. — Ryan Britt
18. What We Do in the Shadows Season 6
The greatest and most creative series currently on TV has finally come to an end. Was this the best season of the hilarious vampire mockumentary? No way. But even meh episodes of What We Do in the Shadows are better than most things. This show will be missed. — Ryan Britt
17. House of the Dragon Season 2
House of the Dragon started off with a bang, but Season 2 made it clear its first season was nothing more than prologue. Now, the Dance of the Dragons has finally started, and even though we still haven’t seen the bloodiest battles, Season 2 had heartbreaking sacrifices, brand-new characters, and lots of spooky Harrenhal visions for Daemon. — Dais Johnston
16. Skeleton Crew
It may not be the best Star Wars show of all time, but Skeleton Crew is the freshest-feeling of the various Disney+ offerings in a galaxy, far, far away. Much can be said about this show’s clever genre mash-up as well as its basic conceit — that our wayward kids are from a hitherto hidden planet. But, the true secret weapon of Skeleton Crew is its relentlessly good pacing. Co-creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford previously worked together on Spider-Man: Homecoming and their ability to move these kinds of stories forward is on full display here. —Ryan Britt
15. Ripley
Patricia Highsmith's chameleonic con man has received many great adaptations before (most notably the Matt Damon-led The Talented Mr. Ripley), but none are as unpredictable as Andrew Scott’s enigmatic Tom Ripley in Steven Zaillian’s nightmarish Netflix series. The dreamy black-and-white cinematography and ruthless narrative lend the well-known story a level of heightened unrealism that makes Ripley one of the most stunning noirs in recent memory. — Hoai-Tran Bui
14. Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer used its strange name and Netflix’s platform to its advantage. Like the one-man show that inspired it, it’s a labyrinthine journey into obsession, stalking, trauma, recovery, and how you can’t move forward with your life until you heal from your own past. The words “based on a true story” have never been so chilling. — Dais Johnston
13. Disclaimer
Alfonso Cuarón’s provocative miniseries is adapted from the novel of the same name by Renée Knight. As such, Disclaimer feels like a novel in TV form. If you haven’t watched, try to avoid spoilers on this one because the big twist in the last two episodes is truly impressive. With excellent performances from Cate Blanchett and Sacha Baron Cohen, this prestige series is both subtle and bold. — Ryan Britt
12. Dark Matter
The multiverse is all the rage these days, but with Dark Matter, the stakes of various parallel lives are brought down to Earth. Based on the Blake Crouch novel of the same name, Dark Matter is actually better than its source material for the simple reason that the characters are richer and fuller than in the book. Interestingly, the novelist himself was the showrunner, and the care and attention to various characterizations make this show unique. The novel was a propulsive story you could read in one sitting. The show lets you chew on these concepts for longer. — Ryan Britt
11. The Acolyte
The Acolyte has been the outlier of Star Wars since it was first announced four years ago. The result was one of the most controversial series in Star Wars history, but it had everything Star Wars needed at the moment: a new setting, new characters, new lore, and, yes, finally a glimpse at Darth Plagueis. — Dais Johnston
10. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Given the reputation of a property like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Prime Video’s reboot had its work cut out for it. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine may not have been anyone’s first choice to play a sexy spy duo, but through eight episodes of marital misadventures, they more than proved their capacity to lead an action franchise. — Lyvie Scott
9. Rings of Power Season 2
The first season of Amazon’s expensive fantasy show wasn’t a slog per se, but Season 2 upped the ante in a major way, turning Rings of Power into the most compelling fantasy show of the year. It only took a terrific villain (Charlie Vickers, relishing playing the power-hungry Sauron) in a questionable wig to transform Rings of Power into the thrilling, immersive epic it always felt like it was meant to be. — Hoai-Tran Bui
8. X-Men ‘97
In a year where Marvel’s big-screen presence was all but nonexistent, X-Men ‘97 managed to fill a major void. The ‘90s revival didn’t exactly bring the X-Men into the MCU, but it did deliver a compelling new chapter for fans of the mutant team. The animated series had no right being as good as it was. X-Men ‘97 has been a long time coming, and hopefully the show will be here to stay. — Lyvie Scott
7. Agatha All Along
WandaVision set a high bar for MCU TV, and then Agatha All Along tapdanced all over it. The genre-of-the-week format meant something new every week, and when it reached its peak — Episode 7, when Patti Lupone’s Lilia took center stage in a non-linear odyssey — it was greater than WandaVision ever dreamed of being. — Dais Johnston
6. Interview with the Vampire Season 2
From the moment it first premiered on AMC, Interview with the Vampire has been the best TV series you’re not watching. Its cult status paved the way for its second season, which followed the cruel, codependent, and unbelievably campy romance between Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and the Vampire Armand (Assad Zaman). Season 2 was chock-full of explosive tension and gonzo monologues — and though the show remains under the radar, no one’s taking its crown. — Lyvie Scott
5. The Sympathizer
Park Chan-wook’s scorching adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece is a pitch-black takedown of imperialism in the time of post-Vietnam War ennui. While its wildly diverging tones and flashy, over-the-top performances have earned criticism — particularly Robert Downey Jr.’s divisive multiple roles — these are clearly features, not bugs, of this twisty, acidic spy thriller. — Hoai-Tran Bui
4. Batman: The Caped Crusader
It seems there’s never really an end to various Batman adaptations. But thankfully, this return to the 1990s aesthetic ushered in by Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series wasn’t just a remake of that series. Instead, by going back to basics, Batman: The Caped Crusader made the notion of Batman feel more like a period piece. Full of fresh takes on classic comic storylines, this quiet series is bound to be one of the most underrated Batman adaptations ever. — Ryan Britt
3. Shōgun
The search for “the next Game of Thrones” will likely never end, and though Shōgun does share some connective tissue with the ruthless HBO fantasy, it quickly established its strength as a story all its own. This slow-burn story set in feudal Japan is a masterwork of subversion: when you expect it to go one way, it swerves into another, defying the tropes that dominate most costume dramas to paint an unapologetic, authentic, and bittersweet portrait of an era. — Lyvie Scott
2. The Penguin
Giving Colin Farrell’s breakout character from The Batman his own spinoff could have easily been a cheap cash grab, but The Penguin set itself apart from the Matt Reeves movie by carving out its own little corner of Gotham — one infinitely seedier, and grimier, and even more morally dubious. But its boldest innovation was the introduction of Cristin Milioti’s terrific Sofia Falcone, who managed to steal the show away from Farrell’s Oz Cobb. It all culminated in a terrific crime drama full of complex characters you couldn’t help but root for, even as you wondered where the hell Batman was. — Hoai-Tran Bui
1. Fallout
If the video game adaptation curse was broken by The Last of Us, it was buried forever by Fallout. The series didn’t attempt to adapt any section of the open-world game franchise, instead telling its own gripping mystery. But what tips it from good to great is Walton Goggins’ performance as The Ghoul, making irradiation surprisingly charming. — Dais Johnston
